I like St. Martin! He shared his coat with a beggar!
The catholic and the protestant church in my neighborhood in berlin had a St. Martin's fire and "Glühwein" and soft sweet bread shaped like goose. I forgot the story about the geese, but I think St. Martin hid among the geese from a military draft, but the geese were loud and gave him away.... (don't quote me on this one, i am not certain)

I adore Mother Theresa for what she's done! Still, I don't think I'll pray to her, but I recall her face when I have a hard time doing the right thing.

She was a good person, agreed. I'm behind her being sainted, not because I pay any attention to saints, but I think it's a way to honour her. She was loved and respected by people from many different religions (atheists as well), not just Catholics, because she was a good person. I know that you need two miracles to make someone a saint, but I really think they're going to go out of their way to find one as soon as possible, and if they can't, they'll make one up.

All the same, I do object to her baptizing Hindus and Muslims before they died. It wouldn't have done them any harm, and I know she was coming from a good place, but it's still rude. I wouldn't want to be baptized. I also heard something somewhere about her Sisters not sanitizing hypodermics properly, which is Bad Medicine.

The baptizing thing is a big black mark against Mother Theresa for me...but hey, try finding someone who hasn't done anything bad in their life I'm still angry that my parents christened me at 6 months, my argument is that they couldn't have asked me whether I wanted to be a Christian or not, so it was against my will.

I'm not against the idea of Saints or Bodhisattvas, people who have done good things should serve as inspirations to us...but I wouldn't pray to them. If I couldn't ask Goddess directly for something, I wouldn't ask for someone else to put a good word in for me either!

"If you trust in yourself and believe in your dreams and follow your star...you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy. Goodbye." - Miss Tick, Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men

Well, Hindus believe that water is holy os they probably just re-interpretted it in the light of their own religion. Plus, I think you might be mistaken, I think only a priest can perform last rights. I could be mistaken on that though.

As for not sanitising all needles. Compared to some of the other "health care" in India...at least they were doing something and offering it too the poor. Indias health care system is awful and often sexists. I am glad she offered to everyone equally.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
Dr. Seuss (1904 - 1991)

There's always a silver lining to every cloud, there's good in everyone it's just with some people you have to dig a little to find it

Speaking of Indian healthcare and South Asia in general...Alyn has been to Nepal and the education system in small villages leaves a lot to be desired. In the mountains the teachers sometimes go away for days and that interrupts the children's lessons. Also there's never parents' evenings so the parents have no idea how well their children are doing and there are never any tests so the children don't know how well they're doing either. His report on education on one village has inspired me to do a TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) next year and we might go out to that village in particular for six months to a year to teach there and try and...not impose Western education values...but to try and get a little consistency and order going in the school there. The teachers who are native to the village really want the school to work and they put in a lot of hours trying to do it, but only a few of them come back to teach, so they have to rely on people from outside the village who just treat it as a job and have no real invested interest in whether the children graduate or not.

"If you trust in yourself and believe in your dreams and follow your star...you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy. Goodbye." - Miss Tick, Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men

No Willow your wrong on just priests being able to do last rites, My mother as a nurse and doctors as well are able to preform last rites, My mom had to do it once, there was no priest available and then patient knew she was dying and was practically begging for a priest, My mom, in an effort to calm her down, Preformed last rites, with her Nursing liscense she is able. But only in Extenuating circumstances, she doesn't like to do it for the fact that she is not a priest, but like I said she has. The priest later came in, and just santified the prayer, but all he did was add Holy Water to her head.

SageWolf wrote:So I was wondering, As a pagan, do you worship Saints as well?

No, I don't. As they are not part of my tradition, I wouldn't even consider it. I might appeal to one of my own gods, or the local land spirits if I found myself in a spot of bother.

Its odd, I've seen this question before where some former xian pagans turn to the xian god in times of crisis - whether its out of habit, I don't know. I have, at times, been in dire straits and I have appealed to what I know - my gods and local spirits. It never occurs to me to appeal to a god in which I no longer believe or anyone who died defending him.

About the only "Saint" I would even come close to identifying with would be Saint Francis of Assissi the patron saint of Animals and the Environment, but even that is a tenuous affinity at best. I tend to associate to people or things which resonate with me regardless of religious or secular affiliation.

I'm living in the Shadows and the Night,
Wrapped in warm darkness, safe and sure.
My Path shines by the Moon's fragile light,
It frees my Mind and keeps my Heart pure.

I don't, and I guess the reason why is I don't even know any of the saints. I was not raised christian, and growing up and reading more, I've learned some basics of the two monotheistic religions that relate. Other than that, I never cared to learn more really. Though I learn more from my husband who has read much or all of the bible. I don't think he really worships saints either, despite being christian. Of course that is because his God is jealous of that type of relationship, IMO.

FyreGarnet

The difference between cats and dogs is that dogs want to smell everyone's rear and cats want every one to smell THEIR rear - unknown